League Summit
by Veilstone
Summary: This is a story where we will explore the inner workings of the Pokémon League during one of their summits, where guests from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Unova, Kalos and Alola will come together in Sinnoh for a large conference. Any suggestions are appreciated, and I shall try to include whatever ideas you guys might have. Enjoy!
1. 01 - Introduction

_Welcome to this story. This first chapter is a little different to what the rest of them will be, as it is split into several subsections about the events leading up to the summit from different perspectives all over Sinnoh. From the second chapter onwards, this will change and we'll have chapters revolving around one group of people at a time, I think. Well, without further ado, let's get started._

* * *

**Crasher Wake**

It wasn't exactly what one would call a beautiful day, but then again, it usually wasn't in Pastoria City. That didn't bother Crasher Wake as he stepped out of his Gym. He was used to the cloudy weather. It was nothing compared to the constant thick fog that lay over the city when he had moved here to become the Gym leader. He frequently had his Pokémon use the signature move of the Fen Badge, Defog, to keep the fog at bay ever since.

He was headed to Hearthome City, where the annual National League Summit would be held. Every year, members of the Leagues of all regions would meet up to discuss recent developments, and that, of course, included Gym leaders as well. Wake carefully locked the door and put up a note to alert any challenger that might come up of his absence, though he knew it wasn't exactly a clandestine meeting. Most trainers would probably be aware that no challenges would be held over the next week, anywhere.

Whistling his own theme song, which he got due to his part-time job as a professional wrestler, he set out to reach his destination. It wouldn't be a long walk, Route 212 offered a direct connection between the two cities. He expected rain, but specializing in water-type Pokémon, he didn't mind getting a little wet.

* * *

**Fantina**

Fantina couldn't quite deny it: She was a little excited. It wasn't her first National League Summit, but it was the first she had the honour to host. The flamboyant lady, dressed in all purple as usual, had decided to shut down not only her Gym, but the Contest Hall as well – it had been temporarily repurposed to serve as a conference hall, as it was Hearthome City's only building large enough to offer enough space for such an event. Not all people in town were happy about that, after all, it was a very fashionable city, and everyone enjoyed the fancy contests. "Whatever", she sighed as she left her Gym and walked over to the great hall to make sure the final preparations were all done, "it's only for a week, non?"

Looking up at the sky, she noticed the dark clouds. They were unusual, cloudy weather was more common further South, but the weather forecast had been clear: Rain was to be expected all over Sinnoh that day. It wouldn't make it more pleasant for her guests to arrive at the summit, but there was nothing she could do about it, and Fantina was confident in everyone's ability to use an umbrella. Well, everyone but Wake, who probably enjoyed the rain. She chuckled at the thought. She herself didn't mind a chance to show off one of her extra fancy umbrellas either.

It took only a few steps for her to arrive at the Contest Hall. The guard at the entrance immediately noticed her.

"Madame!", he immediately saluted, letting her pass. She gave him a warm nod as she passed him, stepping into the entrance hall. She was indeed pleased at the first impression. Everything was set up, and the hall was decorated in an elegant, but not over-the-top kind of way. Just as she had requested. She wanted to show off the city's extravagance but provide a professional atmosphere as well. After all, important work had to be done here.

She noticed a few technicians busy with last-minute improvements as she wandered through the different rooms. Each had been decorated in a different colour, designed to match the different groups of people meeting there. The carpets, curtains, flowers, they all complimented each other nicely. Still, she felt a little anxious. Despite knowing all, or at least most of the people who were about to convene here, she was a little nervous about how they felt about her masterpiece.

* * *

**Byron and Roark**

Byron most certainly wasn't a posh man. In fact, he was hands-on and most certainly not a stranger to intense manual labour. Of course, that didn't mean he didn't value good manners. He knew etiquette demanded he'd accompany the League members from other regions that would arrive in Canalave City, where his own Gym and one of the two major ports of the region was located, to the summit. That is why he was quite displeased with himself for not being able to do so.

Instead, he was in Oreburgh City. His son Roark (or "The Rock", as he liked to call himself, much to his father's amusement), the city's Gym leader, had called him for help the day before. Oreburgh City depended heavily on the local coal mine, and for some reason, it had been overrun by Zubat. They hadn't been able to figure out the reason for the sudden infestation, and it would definitely be an issue Roark would bring up during the summit, but after several hours of battling, they had finally been able to contain it. With the operability of the mine ensured, Byron realized there was no way he would make it back to Canalave City in time to welcome the visitors from abroad.

"We'll have to hurry if we don't want to be late to Hearthome", he reminded his son, "you don't have any flying-type Pokémon, and I left my Skarmory in Canalave City." Byron could've punched himself for not taking Skarmory along, it could've easily brought both of them to the port in no time.

"Yeah", Roark replied, "especially since I've agreed to meet our Sinnohan friends a little earlier. Now that you can't escort our visitors, that probably applies to you too… By the way, you should see to it that someone welcomes them. And explains the situation. And lock your Gym. You know, all those things you should've done yourself, dad…"

Byron sighed and nodded quietly. He was used to the constant teasing of his son who was hellbent on becoming a more powerful trainer than himself. Roark would constantly crack down at the slightest mistake his father would make. Of course, he had thought about mentioning that all the administrative troubles arose due to Roark not being able to handle a Zubat invasion on his own, but he chose to let his son enjoy his moment of triumph.

As Roark locked the Oreburgh Gym, Byron called his friend Riley, who immediately picked up the phone.

"_Hello?"_

"This is Byron. Do you never actually look at your phone before you pick it up?"

"_Rarely. Can I help you, old friend?"_

"I'm not that old. Listen, you don't happen to be in Canalave City, do you? I need to call in a few favours."

"_Certainly older than I am. You're lucky, old man, I was just about to enter Iron Island. Reception is not great down there, so you called just in time. I can be in the city in a few minutes."_

"Listen, I don't have time to explain this in detail. You know how the League Summit is set to start tomorrow, yeah? Our visitors from Hoenn, Johto and Kanto are due to arrive in about an hour. I won't be able to make it, please tell them I'm terribly sorry. Fantina promised to arrange for further transportation, so you should find…"

"_I thought you don't have time for a long speech? Look, I got it. Greet visitors. Find vehicle. Put visitors on vehicle."_

"…thanks. And please, lock the Gym. You still have that spare key, right?"

"_Sure do. Thank me later!" *click*_

Byron sighed again. He was certainly impressed by the younger generation of trainers, but they were always in a hurry, it seemed. Was he becoming too slow for this world?

"Come on, dad! We don't have all day!", Roark reminded him impatiently, as if to confirm his thoughts.

"Sure, son. Let's get going…"

And so, father and son set out for Hearthome City. It wasn't that much of a journey, but they had to cross through Mt. Coronet, and the rocky nature of those caves would slow down even this pair of experienced digging enthusiasts.

* * *

**Gardenia and Maylene**

The dust settled in the middle of Solaceon Town to reveal the outcome of an intense battle between the Gym leaders of Veilstone and Eterna City. It became clear the Maylene's Lucario had beaten Gardenia's Roserade using Close Combat – in a final display of strength, it had lowered its defences on its Trainer's command for a reckless all-out assault. A winning strategy, at least this time.

Gardenia gave a silvery laugh as she complimented her Pokémon for its efforts. "One day, I'll beat you, Maylene, I swear!" The other girl recalled her Lucario with a proud, almost smug smile on her lips. "Yeah right… we'll se about that. You clearly lack the discipline!", she teased. "Didn't even come here by foot."

The grass-type Gym leader blushed and glanced over to her Tropius, which she'd used to fly to their rendezvous point. They had agreed to meet up in Solaceon Town, which was only a heartbeat away from Hearthome City, to indulge in a battle before making their way to the Contest Hall together. As much as she liked the pink haired girl, Maylene, as a friend – Gardenia was more annoyed by the fact that she never seemed to be able to beat her than she would admit.

Maylene interrupted her thoughts. "You know, there's nothing like a tough walk to train your own discipline. I mean, Fly is basically my own signature HM, but I don really use it. It makes you weak."

"Enough already, you've made your point!", Gardenia exclaimed, slightly disgruntled with the taunting. "Just wait until next time. I'll beat the hell out of you, mark my words. Now, let's get on with it, we don't want to keep anyone waiting!"

Maylene didn't object, and they walked down route 209 with all its pits and bridges, mostly in silence. Along the way, they turned down a jogger's request for a battle – they were already late, and the matchup hardly seemed fair. The other trainer didn't seem like he'd have a chance against either one of the Gym leaders, let alone both, but he had confidence. They had to give him that.

Gardenia still seemed to sulk over her defeat, although she obviously tried not to let it show too much. Her friend still picked up on it.

"You know, all teasing aside, you did get a lot better since the last time we battled. In all seriousness, I don't doubt you'll beat me some day if you keep growing stronger like this… you and your partners, of course." It was an obvious attempt to cheer up Gardenia, but it was true nonetheless.

"Thanks…", the girl replied, not sure how to handle the sudden compliment. "I'm really glad to know you. Training with you is always thrilling, and besides – you know I don't like those super fancy League Summits. It'd be horrible to go without you."

Maylene couldn't help but laugh at that remark. "Yeah, I agree. It's certainly much more fun with you. Look, I see the city gates!"

* * *

**Volkner**

It was early in the morning when Volkner, Sunyshore City's energetic Gym leader, stepped out into the sun. Early sunrises were something the city was known for, and it was certainly a major factor that contributed to the creation of its signature solar walkway. Volkner had designed it himself, a simple but brilliant idea: by creating a walkway made entirely from solar panels, he had single-handedly solved the city's power problem. He was gifted when it came to tinkering at least as much as he was gifted when it came to battling, a fact he wasn't exactly known to be humble about.

It would be a while until he'd welcome his guests. Sunyshore was home to the region's largest port. The League had been informed that delegations from Kalos and Alola would arrive there, and Volkner had been tasked with accompanying them to Hearthome City where the summit would be held. Personally, he would have preferred the Johto delegation – it was an open secret he had taken a liking to a Gym leader over there. They had tried to keep their meetings more private, but it seemed that a private life wasn't something a Gym leader could have anymore. In fact, one of the few things that stopped him from challenging the Elite Four to overcome his boredom was his fear of becoming an even bigger target for various news outlets throughout Sinnoh and even other regions.

Volkner yawned and flung one of his Pokéballs to release his Luxray. It emerged with a bloodcurling battlecry, only to realize there was no opponent. It exchanged looks with its trainer.

"Just a walk, buddy", Volkner explained. They spent their morning making sure the lighthouse was up and running – of course it was – and a casual walk on the beach until it was finally time to stroll down to the port. "Spot-on!", Volkner chuckled as he saw a majestic cruiser berth right as the couple, Pokémon and trainer, casually made their way down the dock.

They really did not have a hard time finding their guests among the crowd of tourists that got off the boat, since they were surrounded by a bulk of flashing cameras and excited journalists, which made Volkner groan. There was no doubt in his mind that the vast majority, if not all of them, were there for a single person: The Kalos Champion, Diantha. The public rarely got excited over politics that much, and only a select few seemed to be interested in League matters. Most people preferred to obsess over battling, gossip and, in this case, word famous movie stars. Volkner recently voiced concerns over this, despite being secretly glad he wasn't besieged by flashing cameras all the time.

Observing the crowd from some distance, he commanded his Luxray to use Roar. That strategy rarely failed to enforce his authority as the local Gym leader. Everyone turned to face them as the Pokémon made its presence known with a majestic cry and a crackle of electricity for show. It did love to be dramatic.

"Alright, listen up, everyone. My name is Volkner, and I happened to be in charge of our beautiful city's Gym. Welcome to Sinnoh. I hope you all have a fantastic time here. Some of you may have noticed the right honourable Ladies and Gentlemen of the Kalos and Alola Leagues on board. It is my duty and honour to escort them to the summit. We're on a bit of a tight schedule, so I must ask the rest of you to be on your way and allow our guests to join me at the lighthouse, where I'll be waiting for them. This especially applied to members of the media. Please contact the summit PR-team for further information."

Unnerved, he turned around and walked off, making his way to Vista Lighthouse. About 10 minutes later, a colourful bunch joined him, seemingly led by the woman in the white dress, Diantha. He spotted Clemont, Kalos' own electric-type Gym leader from Lumiose City, trailing behind and marvelling the solar walkway. Volkner considered Clemont a friend, as they had spent quite some bonding time over their preferred type and they fondness for innovation and tinkering. Clemont was joined by a younger boy. Volkner deduced he was a member of the Alolan League – it had been founded just a few months ago and this was their first summit.

Volkner curiously examined the chattering people approaching him. He knew a lot of them, of course, his colleagues from Kalos – Viola, eagerly taking pictures of everything she could find, Grant struggling to keep up with Korinna on her roller skates to keep their conversation going, Valerie, Olympia and Wulfric silently walking next to each other while admiring the view and Ramos, who had joined Diantha at the front. And of course, there was Professor Sycamore, easily the most charismatic man he knew. He seemed to be torn between a conversation with what must've been his colleague from Alola – Volkner made a silent note to himself that this man's aura perhaps rivalled Sycamore's own – and trying to hit on a green-haired girl, without doubt from the Alolan islands.

The other Alolans seemed interesting, too. He was looking forward to meeting all of them. Apart from the boy and Sycamore's newest target (Volkner made another note to himself to warn her about what must've been at least fifty others), he spotted a girl with blue hair chatting with a young fellow with particularly dark skin and black and red hair and a girl with ragged clothes and purple hair silently musing over Arceus knew what. Was this how Fantina looked when she was younger? Volkner chuckled as he could barely imagine his colleague wearing anything but the fanciest dress she could find, dismissing the thought. He noticed a boy with pink hair, very intent on getting the ragged girl's attention, but seemingly to no avail. Poor boy.

That wasn't everyone, though, as he spotted a group of four people in the back. There was a big man with grey hair, heartily laughing about what the woman in the pink dress next to him must've just said. The man walking beside them wore a uniform and a facial expression that showed a lack of interest shocking to even Volkner, who had considered himself a master of unimpressedness up to this point. That didn't seem to stop the fourth person of their subgroup, a girl dressed entirely in khaki and purple, to attempt casual conversation with him. Needless to say, she wasn't very successful, but that didn't seem to bother her too much.

"Ah, forgive me for my speech down at the docks, my friends", Volkner said when the group had finally assembled. "I didn't mean to come off rude, but…"

"Ahhh, it's fine, Volkner, mon ami. We certainly understand, do not sweat it! A fanastic lighthouse you have there!"

Irritated by the rude interruption at first, Volkner relaxed as he recognized the familiar accent of Professor Augustine Sycamore. He knew the man just couldn't help himself, he HAD to voice his opinions on absolutely everything.

"…thank you, Professor. Well as a matter of fact, I wanted to invite you upstairs. There's a view I hope you'll find rather rewarding. Oh, and I mustn't forget – my new colleagues from Alola! I suppose we'll be properly introduced at the summit, but a first impression is never a bad thing. I suggest we all have a little chat upstairs, away from public eyes…" he sighed. "I'm rambling, am I not? Let's just… yeah, let's just go."

Everyone gave a polite smile, well except for the uniformed man from Alola, and they made their way to the top of the Vista Lighthouse. Once they got up there, they proceeded to take turns glancing through the binoculars to take a look at the spectacular castle that was the Sinnoh League while everyone else enjoyed a casual chat. Naturally, after sharing a boat to Sinnoh, the Kalos and Alola League members were already acquainted with each other, but Volkner had some catching up to do. He particularly enjoyed getting to know the young boy he noticed at Clemont's side earlier. Turns out his name was Sophocles, although he immediately insisted Volkner call him Soffy, as apparently all his friends did. He too seemed to be rather passionate about all sorts of new inventions.

"What's this?!", Viola, the bug-type Gym leader from Kalos, suddenly exclaimed. Everyone turned around, most of them highly amused seeing her trying to take a photograph through the binocular. She seemed startled by the sudden silence, obviously not having expected anyone to pay attention to her. "I… I think I just saw someone leaving the castle on a flying Pokémon…", she tried to explain while quickly taking her camera away from the binoculars, trying to act normal.

"Oh godda… goshdarn it!", Volkner cursed, only correcting himself after seeing Diantha shooting him a disapproving glance. "That must've been the bosses. I'm sorry, I lost track of time. Let's go, let's go!"

They all shuffled downstairs in a hurry. Luckily, the vehicles Fantina sent for them were already waiting for them, although they were certainly not what Volkner or, in fact, anyone had expected.

* * *

**The Sinnoh League**

Lucian and Bertha were seated in the League's library, both focussed on their books. It was a soothing sight: the tall man in an elegant maroon suit, reading one of his favourite classics, a murder mystery novel about a private detective and his companion, a medical doctor. Opposed to him, the dignified elderly woman, immersed in a very different murder mystery set in a medieval monastery while sipping on a large cup of tea.

Lucian secretly disapproved of his colleague's habit of bringing tea to the library. He dreaded the day a cup would be knocked over, spilling its content on one of his precious books. Of course, he would never mention it to anyone, let alone Bertha herself. First of all, he was too polite, and of course, like everyone else, he was slightly intimidated by the woman, despite the fact that they had grown close friends.

When the library's door was knocked wide open, both shot up from their books, greeting the invaders with exasperated looks.

"Aaron. Flint. Has anyone ever told you libraries are supposed to be quiet?", Lucian asked, while Bertha simply stared disapprovingly.

The green colour of Aaron's eyes matched that of his hair, but it certainly didn't go well with the red colour his face assumed after being called out like that, muttering incomprehensible excuses. Within seconds, he was interrupted by his companion, who remained seemingly unfazed by his colleague's rebuke. Flint casually wandered over to the table in the centre of the library where Bertha and Lucian were sitting and grabbed a free chair. Aaron followed a few seconds later.

"What are you reading there? Ah, who cares. Put those books away, amigos, it's time for us to leave. Is that tea, Bertha? You're not supposed to bring drinks to a library, you know?", Flint started to lecture his colleague, who merely sighed in response.

"Very… kind of you to alert us of our responsibilities, Flint", Lucian said diplomatically. He considered adding a sharp remark about how Bertha and himself were perfectly capable of managing their own schedule, but he noticed Bertha's gaze that seemed to implore him to deescalate the situation.

"No problem at all, mate!" Flint seemed to be entirely oblivious to the implied reproach once again. Judging by the colour of Aaron's face, he wasn't. After a short stare off between Lucian and Flint, the former simply sighed and shut his book. "Very well, then. Has anyone seen the Champion? Seeing as this is her first ever League summit, she could probably do with a briefing."

"I'll get her!", Aaron volunteered all too quickly, very obviously relieved to get out of the awkward situation, and eagerly shuffled out of the room.

The Champion's room was the closest one to the library, one of the many privileges that came with the job to compensate for all the responsibilities. Therefore, it didn't take Aaron more than a few seconds to find Cynthia who opened the door with a warm smile when he knocked.

"Aaron! It's not time to leave yet, is it?"

The boy couldn't help but admire the young woman. She wasn't much older than him, but in every single one of their frequent training sessions, she proved her remarkable bond with her team. She never let that get to her head though and remained down-to-earth and modest, a fact that impressed Aaron even more. He couldn't help but feel a little starstruck every time he saw the tall, elegant woman with her long, platinum blonde hair, but not like… I mean, he didn't like, LIKE Cynthia. Not in that way. More like an older sister, he felt.

"Aaron? Is everything alright?", Cynthia inquired, interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh, sure, sorry!", Aaron blushed again, hoping it wouldn't show. "Lucian thought we could talk you through the procedures before heading off, we're all in the library. Don't be surprised if there's a bit of tension in the air, Flint…" The boy didn't finish the sentence, neither did he have to.

Cynthia laughed softly, she'd experience lots of situations where Flint behaved in way that didn't sit well with his colleagues, not even noticing their disapproval. It was kind of awkward at first, but by after a few weeks at the League, she came to understand that despite their quarrels, the Elite Four truly cared for each other, with all their flaws and quirks. Soon, she had become part of this small community.

"Well, well, I suppose we should go and sort things out then. Can't risk a heated battle in the library, can we? Poor books…"

When they arrived at the library, however, things seemed to have sorted out themselves. Flint, Bertha and Lucian sat around the table, waiting – the books had disappeared, so had the cup of tea and the tension between the three.

"Cynthia, dear, good to see you. Let's just quickly give you a heads-up on what's expecting you… us… during the next week, and then we're good to go.", Lucian welcomed. It didn't take long, he was good at short and concise briefings, and half an hour later, they were off to Hearthome City on their fastest Pokémon.

* * *

**Professor Rowan**

Rowan sighed deeply. It was that time of the year again, and the annual League Summit would interrupt his research plans. Of course, he had to go, all the Professors were invited as special guests. While they weren't actual members of the League – only Gym leaders, Champions and members of the Elite Four were – but since they were able to provide valuable input from a scientific point of view, the League asked them to come every year.

It was a nuisance to him, but he understood the necessity and he didn't mind meeting his colleagues either. He put on his heavy brown coat and set out on the journey, leaving everyday business like giving out starters to his assistants, who he was sure would do a fine job like always.

"Perhaps it won't be so bad, after all…", he mused while mounting Staraptor. It would be a lot less straining as the years before. He used to attend the summit as both the region's Professor and its Champion, until young Cynthia beat him a few months ago. He was rather eager to meet her again, too. A very interesting woman, he thought.

Not being Champion anymore would take a lot of weight off his shoulders during the summit, and he certainly didn't mind that. On top of that, he was sure Fantina had gone out of her way to provide everyone with as much comfort and excellent food as humanly possible, and he had to admit that he was very much looking forward to the sweet, sweet desserts. Rowan pulled a candy bar out of his pocket, put it in his mouth and commanded his Staraptor to take him to Hearthome City.

* * *

_Author's note: You've made it this far? Impressive. I'm uploading this first chapter right before boarding a plane. I'm looking forward to continuing this when I come back, though. If one of you happens to drop a comment about how to improve things, I'll certainly take it into consideration. Thanks for reading!_


	2. 02 - Arrival of the Sinnoh League

**The Sinnoh League members**

Sinnoh's Elite Four, along with their champion, were the first to arrive at the Contest Hall. Two guards were positioned at the entrance, clearly intent on not letting anyone pass without a formal letter of invitation. They all rummaged through their pockets to find theirs, but as it turned out, that wasn't necessary at all – both guards recognized the group immediately. The younger one seemed to have a hard time hiding his excitement upon seeing the strongest trainers of the region, but he certainly tried. He and his older colleague stepped aside, letting Aaron, Bertha, Flint, Lucian and Cynthia pass.

They found Fantina inside. She was too busy rearranging some flower baskets to notice them, until Lucian made their presence known with a faint cough.

"Fantina, my dear, I'm sure there's no need to change the whole arrangement again. I assure you, everything looks fantastic, and I'm sure our colleagues will agree."

The woman in question spun around in surprise, blushing visibly. "Oh-oh-oh, it is time, is it not, _mes amis_?", she replied, visibly alarmed. "I am sure you are right, Lucian, thank you so much. I must admit I am a bit – uhm – 'ow do you say? _Nerveux_." Fantina took a deep breath, adjusting her frankly marvellous purple dress. "_Mon Dieu_, where are my manners? Welcome, everyone. It is truly wonderful to have you here."

Fantina tottered over to the five trainers who greeted her cordially. One, two, three obligatory kisses to the cheek for everyone except Flint, who insisted on simply shaking her hand.

"Cynthia, darling, it has been... a long time since I last saw you." Fantina took over the conversation immediately. "Ah, our battle was truly exciting. I was not surprised when I got the news you beat Monsieur Rowan on…"

* * *

BANG.

Before she could even finish her sentence, let alone wait for a response, the doors swung open, revealing Crasher Wake's bombastic figure.

"…I'm the tidal wave of power to wash you away! Put out the fire, Crasher… AHOY!"

The wrestler's self-made theme song came to an abrupt halt as he discovered the startled group in the middle of the quite sizable entry hall and greeted them with a hearty sailor's salute. It took them a couple of seconds to straighten their faces – well, everyone except Bertha, who had remained patiently composed, even though any observer with a keen eye might have discovered slight traces of astonishment even in her face.

"Friends! My, my, it fills my old heart with joy to see you all again. Cynthia! First time, eh?" he roared. "Oh, I knew you'd have it in you the moment you stepped into my…"

Fantina would have none of it. "Wake, _mon ami_, I was about to give the Champion that speech when you 'onoured us with your _arrivée opportune_, and I am certain we will not be the last ones today. _De plus,_ would you mind taking off your boots before taking another step?"

The damage was already done. Crasher Wake's muddy boots had made a mess of the delicate red carpet, earning him a sly remark from Lucian about how in other circumstances, he might've appreciated Route 212's high quality mud to take a mud bath, as many people did there.

It wasn't long until Maylene and Gardenia arrived, soaking wet from the heavy rain that had finally started a few minutes ago. Shortly after, Byron and Roark joined them. Fantina shot a glance at Wake when father and son both cleaned their boots before stepping into the hall to greet the rest of the group. Another exchange of formalities and friendly kisses, and off they were to a conference room specifically designed for this purpose.

* * *

In its centre, there stood a single long table which occupied most of the room. On either side, there were five chairs: To the right side, a modest earthen chair that looked like it had been made from fired clay; next to it, a chair seemingly made from charcoal, black as night; a modern chair decorated with antennas that seemed almost out of place next to the previous ones; One seemingly carved out of beautiful, blue ice; then there was one chair that was made out of colourful coral and finally a slim chair made of white wood, decorated with glittering purple satin cushions.

To the left side, the nearest chair to the door was a leathern armchair of the sort that entices the beholder to sit down and get lost in a good book; one chair that appeared to be made out of chitin, giving off a faint green glitter like a bug's exoskeleton; a very simple and sturdy, but uncomfortable looking chair made out of steel; one seemingly cut out of a massive rock, decorated with sparkling gems; then there was a chair made out of a single log standing upright, with thorny vines spiralling around it; finally, there was a sleek, rather high stool with a lavender pillow on top and no sort of back support.

Furthermore, on either end of the table, there was one chair respectively. The chair on the far end of the room, near the windows, was obviously the power seat: An elegant throne sculpted from pitch black marble with golden ornaments. Opposite to it, near the door, there was what seemed like the polar opposite: a dark, leathern office chair, slightly worn, as though someone had simply brought their own chair with them.

None of the Gym leaders had any trouble finding their seat, neither did the Elite Four – although Flint did complain about the stains the coal would leave on his clothes. Most of the other people present understood his concern but feared Fantina would go on a redecorating spree at the faintest sound of criticism. A few sympathetic looks were shared, but no one else said a word, and so everyone sat down, with Cynthia looking rather awkward on her massive marble throne. Only three seats remained empty: One for Candice, one for Volkner, one for Rowan.

* * *

"It is good to see you all again" Fantina remarked to break the silence that had lingered just a second too long to be comfortable. "I am fairly certain most of our guests are already _en route_. Although I must say that I have not yet heard from Candice yet… Whatever might have happened to her?"

"I think I've heard something about a snowstorm? Could that be it?" Gardenia mused, and Bertha was glad she'd decided to listen to the morning news while letting her tea sit. Lady Grey. Her favourite. "Indeed," she added. "They say it's next to impossible to leave Snowpoint City at the moment. I imagine they won't be here until tomorrow, but they might just make it in time for the grand opening ceremony."

"Oh, oh, I am certainly sorry for being late!" a deep voice sounded from the door. Everyone turned around to wave at Professor Rowan who had just arrived. Lucian rose from his chair to shake the Professors hand, who reluctantly did so, motioning at everyone else to remain seated. "Please, I had no intention of interrupting this meeting. Never mind me. Cynthia, my friend, it is good to see you."

With a friendly wink across the table, Rowan sat down on his office chair, which was indeed one of his own. After almost a week of negotiation, Fantina had reluctantly allowed him to bring his own seat. Seeing Flint's struggles with a chair made out of coal, Rowan was very glad he did.

With the whole Sinnoh delegation present, except for those who'd arrive with their guests, they discussed the proceedings of the evening. There were rooms for everyone, including those from the other regions, set up in the Contest hall and a hotel down the road. Once everyone had a good night's rest, they would gather in the main hall to kick off the summit with the Champion's speech, something Cynthia wasn't too keen on giving – Fantina did not grow tired of explaining in great detail all the meticulous details she had planned. Flint looked like he was about to doze of any minute; Byron gave a polite nod every now and then, but wasn't really listening either, just like his son. Maylene was meditating, and indeed Rowan and Cynthia seemed to be the only ones truly paying attention.

* * *

"Eeek! What's this?", Gardenia suddenly exclaimed, staring out of the windows – it was rather dark already, but the last sunrays still illuminated the objects she was referring to.

"Ah, this, _mes amis, _would be our guests. We shall not keep them waiting, _oui_?", the purple haired hostess, smiling slyly at the faces of her colleagues. She had hoped the means of transportation she had chosen would leave a lasting impression, and it seemed as though she had succeeded.

* * *

_Author's note: I'm back from vacation and at it again. As always, thank you for reading. Next chapter, we shall have a bit of change of scenery, I think._


	3. 03 - The Snowpoint Ferry

**The Snowpoint Ferry**

It wasn't a very tall boat, Elesa thought. She had been on it for a while now, alongside every other Unova League member and a stranger none of them knew. He hadn't said a word ever since he boarded the ship. The last man on the boat was their captain, who hadn't given his name either, but suggested the passengers call him Ishmael. She had seen a few of her colleagues, most notably Grimsley and Shauntal, chuckle at that notion (Drayden merely shot the Captain an exasperated glance), but Elesa didn't get what she assumed must've been a reference to something. She didn't bother asking either.

Seventeen people in total. Below deck, there was nothing but the engine room, they had been told. This, of course, meant they'd all have to stay on the deck, which looked like it was built to comfortly hold about fifteen. After what might have been two hours – Elesa didn't know exactly – there was a sudden change in temperature. The air became quite cool, and the occasional stray snowflake could be observed melting on deck or being swallowed by the waves.

There wasn't much talking – she saw Clay standing at the ship's bow, talking to the captain, but their voices were low, and they were facing away from her. The others stood or sat in silence, most of them had produced a coat from their suitcases – in fact, everyone except the stranger and Elesa herself. Her sleeveless top wasn't doing a particularly good job protecting her from the increasingly icy wind, however, and so she decided to put on her own jacket.

The wooden deck creaked as she made her way towards her suitcase, and somehow, with every step, the number of snowflakes swirling through the air increased. The removed the covers that were put in place to protect their luggage from snow and put on her fluffy black coat.

* * *

"Ain't lookin' too good, this isn't," the Captain said to Clay. "It shouldn't be a-snowin' for 'nother mile or two. Might be in fer a mighty ol' storm."

"Don't suppose we can speed up the ol' lady?" Clay replied, patting the ship's rail, "ain't the best place ter get caught in a storm, now, a ship's deck ain't." He received a wary glace from the Captain and made sure to add: "'s lovely as she might be. Ain't seen no better ship in years."

The Captain shrugged it off. "Can't be done, Sir. 'tis as fast as she'll go. Things get rough, we get down to the engines fer cover."

Clay pulled his leather coat tighter as he was caught by a gust of cold wind but commented no further on the matter. He was sure Captain Ishmael – or whatever his name was – knew exactly what he was doing. The two men continued to stare at the snow in silence for a few minutes, then Clay checked his phone. No reception, unsurprisingly.

The wind and snowfall steadily grew. Blankets had been distributed by Skyla and Burgh after the Captain had told them where to find them. Both had descended into the engine room, and while Skyla came out just like she went in, Burgh emerged with his hands full of woollen blankets and (much to his dismay) covered in oil. He didn't say anything while giving out the goods to his fellow travellers, although he looked just like a man who'd been talked into doing a job he absolutely didn't want to do by a person he absolutely could not turn down. At least that's what Alder, the region's Champion, thought – and he'd had his fair share of the kind of person who'd melt your heart and make you do their bidding. He nodded sympathetically as he received his blanket from the Gym Leader and subtly gave him a pat on the back when he turned around, very careful not to touch the oil stains.

A few minutes later, when everyone was warm and happy, Alder pulled Burgh aside. There wasn't much privacy to be obtained on an overcrowded ship's deck, but he did what he could, and soon they had found a somewhat undisturbed place.

"My, my, Burgh, old friend. Whatever happened down there in the engine room, I wonder?" the tall, strong man asked his colleague and friend.  
"Well, you see, Champion, Miss Skyla there deemed it not fit for a Lady to make her way through a dirty engine room, and I couldn't help but agree with that sentiment," Burgh answered truthfully, "so I did it, you see, I did it on my own. Wanted to be a gentleman, that's all. Told her to wait and let me fetch the blankets, and she did, of course she did, because I told her so, but on second thought, I was kind of angry at myself for letting her use me like that, but then again, thinking of it now, I'm kinda glad that I did it and…"  
Well, now that he started to talk about the whole affair, there seemed to be no stopping him. Something had gotten to his head quite notably, at least that's what Alder thought, and he had quite the idea as to what it might be. He put on a knowing smile, to which Burgh remained completely oblivious, and patiently listed to the lovestruck ramblings, occasionally offering a sympathetic "Hm" or "I see" whenever he felt like it was due.

Meanwhile Skyla herself was talking to the ever-so-elegant Grimsley. Neither of them noticed Caitlin watching them from some distance, but then again, she did try to keep her surveillance as discreet as possible. Cheren was sitting on a footstool he had found God knows where. Roxie obviously wanted her own seat, but Cheren was caught up in his own thoughts and unable to do the right thing and offer it to her, so she wandered over to Marlon, who stood at the rails, trying to take in the scent of the sea – but all it got him was a nose full of snowflakes, and just when Roxie arrived by his side, he sneezed in a horribly indecent way – not even covering his nose, as he was completely taken by surprise by the sudden invasion of his nostrils.

Now, one couldn't blame Roxie for not trying to keep a straight face at that sight, but she was bound to fail. There was no way any man or woman, no matter how decent, would not burst out in a laughing fit when presented with the situation described above, and so she did. Naturally, Marlon blushed and apologised. A few second later, he couldn't resist any longer and started laughing along.

Only a few steps away, Shauntal missed the entire scene. The woman had gracefully accepted the blanked offered by her boss a few minutes earlier and used it like a very poorly built tent to protect herself as well as her precious book – one about a submarine, mistaken for a beast of the seas at first, and its enigmatic Captain. She felt like it was a fitting story for a voyage like this one, but she would've never imagined ending up on a ship's deck without cover during heavy snowfall. Mercifully, the book helped her to escape from her anxiety regarding the possibility of a snowstorm – she left the world of sneezing Gym Leaders and entered that of mad Captains.

The remaining two fellows, Marshal and Drayden, quiet as ever, minded their own business. After all, both were men of constraint who knew better than to meddle in affairs that did not affect them unless absolutely necessary. Drayden merely chose to observe – knowledge was power, after all – while Marshal had his eyes closed, getting some rest. He had spread the blanket beneath him. He knew that the cold that emerges from the ground – in this case, from the planks – was far more deadly than the cold air to a sleeping man, and even if he doubted his colleagues would let him freeze to death, he wasn't a man to take any chances.

Professor Juniper had travelled to Sinnoh in advance ("Lucky her," thought Elesa, "or is she? But she couldn't have known about this boat… ah, nonsense.") and so the only remaining person on the boat was, indeed, the mysterious stranger. Still, not a single word had come out of his pale mouth, but nobody cared too much. In fact, most of them were rather glad they did not have to engage in any conversation with the man. He didn't seem like the pleasant kind of man who would chatter about their day or the weather or even renaissance paintings. He was the kind of man who looked like he enjoyed modern art, and the only other person who enjoyed that sort of paintings was still rambling about the engine room incident and Skyla and himself.

The man, in turn, was very glad he wasn't spoken to either. He had hoped to be alone on the boat – as, in fact, he would have been on any other occasion, as not many people travelled by this particular ferry – and since he hadn't gotten his wish, he at least wanted to be left in peace. He had his own business to attend to in Sinnoh, and curious strangers were the last thing he needed, least of all high-ranking League members. He pulled down his cap and turned up his collar, as he was the only one without a blanket. He didn't mid the extra protection from prying eyes.

* * *

Just minutes before the storm started, they finally arrived in Snowpoint City, where the local Gym Leader Candice was already waiting anxiously. They all got off the boat, and everyone save the mysterious stranger (who shuffled off quickly in some direction, despite Candice's worried warnings about the snowstorm, which he ignored) agreed to follow her to stay at the Gym for the night, as there was no way of going to Hearthome City until the next day. The snowstorm won't permit it, Candice said.

Being asked about how they were to go to the Summit Hall at all, Candice merely smiled slyly. "My dear colleague Fantina has gone out of her way to provide you with an unusual form of transport, Ladies and Gentlemen. I'm sure you'll find it satisfactory, but for now, I must keep the secret to myself."

The Gym door hissed open, and they all entered – and not a minute too early.

* * *

_Author's note: Here's another one. If you feel like there's more storytelling potential in an old ship out on the sea with a mysterious stranger on board and heavy snowfall as well as no reception, I wholeheartedly agree. Rest assured, I shall come back to it in time, but it is a whole different story that shall be told another time. I must be off for vacation for three weeks again, very sorry for that, but I shall be back with more chapters right after that. Thanks for reading this, you're the best! _


	4. 04 - Snowpoint City

**Snowpoint City**

* * *

Ughhhh…

Gnah…

Way too early. Grimsley had woken up on a blow-up mattress in the Gym's main hall. After a few seconds of disorientation, he remembered how they had arrived at Snowpoint City and decided to spend the night in the Gym. The aides of the local Gym Leader, Candice, had been kind enough to provide them with mattresses and sleeping bags – not quite the comfort he was used to, but it was better than sleeping on the icy floor.

He reached for his jacket, neatly folded on top of his dress pants and shirt on a footstool next to his mattress. Inside the left pocket, he found his pocket watch. Sunlight was pouring through every window – he couldn't have slept that long, surely? The pocket watch snapped open. Midnight? No, no. The second hand wasn't even moving, he had simply forgotten to wind it the day before.

Slowly, careful not to wake anyone else, he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his tired eyes. What a pitiable sight I must be right now, Grimsley thought. Thinking about a hot cup of coffee, he reached for his clothes. Getting dressed restored half of his dignity, he thought, but his eyes still felt way too heavy.

Around him, almost everyone was still sleeping. Without the protection of his sleeping bag, he started to feel the Gym's cold. The icy floor was covered with snow, Candice had seen to that to prevent her guests from slipping, but that didn't help with the freezing temperature at all. Grimsley saw a movement out of the corner of his eyes and turned to see his colleague Clay beckoning him from a small door at the opposite side of the gym.

Quite typical! Clay wasn't one to waste too much time sleeping, Grimley knew. And what was that? Was he imagining things now, or was that just the faintest scent of hot coffee wafting over from the room Clay was in? He wasted no time and carefully crossed the big Gym hall, intent on not getting his expensive shoes too wet from all the snow and stepped through the small door.

* * *

Grimsley was pleased to discover it led to a small, but very warm kitchen. There was a fire crackling in the stove, and a large coffee pot steaming on top of it. Indeed, it looked just like he had entered a rustic mountain lodge. A small window helped illuminate the table in the corner where Clay sat. Other than himself, Clay was the only person in the room, though it would've provided enough space for more. Grimsley noticed that the cowboy hat that usually resided on the other Gym Leaders head was missing, but soon discovered it prominently sitting on a Stantler skull trophy hanging on the wall.

"Up early, are ya, my boy?", Clay roared amicably.

Grimsley sighed, he wouldn't waste any more of his breath trying to explain how he wasn't even that much younger than Clay was, and how he felt that "my boy" was certainly not an appropriate way to address him. Swallowing his pride, he merely asked: "I wouldn't know, my pocket watch died at about midnight. Is that coffee on the pot over there? I'm dying for a cup – no, a mug – of that stuff."

"Sure is, boy." Clay said, getting up from his chair (surprisingly quickly for a man of his weight, Grimsley figured, but he knew better than to voice that thought). Clay checked his wrist watch, which Grimsley knew he always wore – time was money, after all. "'alf past five in the morning. Been up since five, I wos. 'tis what yer get for havin' to handle the mining business of the whole region."

Grimsley walked over to the table and sat down opposite to where Clay had sat before, and his colleague put down a mug in front of him. "No probs at all, boy, yer welcome." he said before Grimsley even got the chance to thank him, "Milk? Sugar?"

"Thank you, nothing." Grimsley shuddered at the thought of staining his precious coffee with anything of the sort. Pitch black, like the night, like half of a roulette wheel, that was how he enjoyed it. "Say, Clay, old man," when the first traces of caffeine started coursing through his veins, Grimsley found it considerably easier to return the sass, "you didn't happen to find some bread in here, did you? No? Well, I suppose there's no point in asking for butter or jam either, is there?"

Clay had been shaking his bulky head while sitting down again. "None. Been searching the whole kitchen 'ere, not a bit of food ter be found."

Those last words were overheard by a tall figure that had just entered the room. The deep, unmistakable voice that responded and made both men at the table turn around belonged to Drayden, mayor and Gym Leader of Opelucid City.

"Why, we can hardly blame our hostess for not having prepared a feast for breakfast, can we? After all, we had no plans to stay overnight ourselves. I shall send one of the Gym's aides to fetch us something from the store. Bread`, butter, jam, honey… hm, some ham, I should like, and cheese and tea. That should do for now, no?"

Grimsley could only nod and watch Clay do the same thing – not even that man would try and argue with Drayden, and besides, the mayor's plan sounded like a sound one. Black coffee, red jam. Fantastic. Roulette breakfast.

* * *

By the time the mayor returned with the groceries – or rather, returned with two boys who were carrying the groceries for him – pretty much everyone else was awake and had gathered around the kitchen table. Candice had apologized many, many times about not having provided breakfast herself, but was cut short by Alder, the Champion, when she was just about to do it a fifth time.

"It is quite alright, dear Candice, we're all very grateful for the opportunity to sleep in your Gym. Are we not?" Everyone gave a heartfelt nod. It hadn't been too warm, but the sleeping bags provided had kept them cosy. "Now then," the Champion continued, "let us feast. If we're ready to leave by 9, we should have no troubles reaching Hearthome City in time. The Gym Leader has kindly shown me our transport for today when we both had some troubles sleeping tonight, and I must say, it is a thing to behold. Without further ado – dig in!"

The room was filled with the sounds of a feast. Munching, slurping, and the occasional burp. Grimsley did not approve of the table manners of some of his fellows, but again, he chose to remain silent and focus on his own meal.

What an interesting character. Caitlin, for some reason, just couldn't take her eyes off Grimsley's slender figure. Everything he did was ever so elegant, he seemed to turn even such a trivial thing as eating toast into an art form. To her right, Marlon had noticed all that, and it was certainly not the first time he had seen Caitlin look at Grimsley like that. Subtly, he nudged her under the table.

"Shh. Don't you think you should be… I don't know… a tad more discreet?" he whispered, quiet enough so only she could hear it.  
Caitlin quickly looked down at her own plate.  
"Discreet about what?", she replied, but her blushing face betrayed her.

To her left, Burgh was way too focussed on Skyla to notice anyone else. Skyla, in the meantime, was chatting with Roxie, and then there was Cheren to Roxie's right. He hadn't eaten anything, merely sipped on his coffee. Burgh sighed.

Altogether, breakfast was rather uneventful. At eight, they had all finished and gone through their morning routines.

"Over there, right past those trees, there's a rather large snow field," Candice explained when they were all gathered in front of the Gym, wearing coats and caps and gloves, "that's where your, I mean our transport awaits. It's rather large, so to say."

* * *

_Author's note: So much for our detour to Snowpoint City. We shall return to Hearthome City and the summit in the next chapter. Looking forward! As always, thanks for reading. _


	5. 05 - Buffet at Hearthome City

**Buffet at Hearthome City**

The sun had begun to set when Sinnoh League had given their visitors from Kalos, Hoenn, Kanto, Johto and Alola as well as Volkner who had accompanied the Kalosian and Alolan delegations, a hearty welcome.

Their arrival had been an impressive sight to behold: After Sinnoh's crème de la crème had assembled on the plaza in front of the Contest Hall following Gardenia's discovery of the massive objects in the sky, said objects had approached the plaza and were about to land. Massive wooden platforms floating in the sky, surrounded by handrails to keep the passengers from falling off.

"Are those…?" Crasher Wake asked, obviously impressed.

"_Oui_," Fantina said, "Drifloon. They keep the structures floating. Fourty of them per platform. My own design."

"But… how do they control their flight paths?" Maylene asked, "I thought Drifloon were unable to manoeuvre, floating anywhere the wind would take them?"

"Indeed, Maylene, they do.", said Professor Rowan. Not even he could hide his awe. "But look there, at the back of the platforms." And indeed, they saw it: Behind every one of them, there was a Dusknoir, floating silently and pushing the platforms in the desired direction.

There must've been some form of nonverbal communication going on between them, as they coordinated the landing process perfectly. The plaza wasn't huge, but they managed to land in perfect unison, setting down the platforms next to one another without crashing once.

Fantina stepped forward and clapped her hands. The ties were severed, and the Pokémon floated away, returning to their natural habitat.

"_Bienvenue!_", Fantina exclaimed. "I 'ope you had a nice journey. _Bienvenue, _welcome to 'earthome City!"

The guests were equally stunned by the elaborate kind of aircraft Fantina had come up with, but they had had some time to get acquainted to the idea during their trip. Not everyone seemed to have enjoyed it, there were some sick faces, but the vast majority of them was in great spirit.

There were hugs and kisses between those who already knew each other, some introductions, all in all, it was quite the chaotic event.

"If you would all come inside now, _s'il vous plait_?" Fantina requested after shaking hands and kissing cheeks for more than 10 minutes, "there is a buffet inside. You must be 'ungry!"

Of course, everyone obliged happily, and soon the large group found themselves standing in the large dining hall especially set up for the summit. In it's centre, a large table had been set up and loaded with sandwiches, finger food and all sorts of other snacks. The hall was filled with cheerful chatting and everyone had split up into smaller groups standing about, eating, chatting.

* * *

Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh, took a look around to decide which group to join.

She saw Crasher Wake and another man comparing their muscles, apparently trying to find out which of them looked stronger. She didn't know the other man, though she assumed he might be a fighting type Gym Leader. Either way, she didn't think she had much to add to that conversation and decided not to interfere with the flexing competition.

Gardenia was talking to an elderly man whom she had seen before on television, hosting a gardening competition show. His name, she remembered, was Ramos, a famous gardener and Gym Leader from Kalos. He appeared to be giving her advice on how to improve her own skills. Cynthia didn't have a particularly green thumb, she abandoned her attempts of trying to cultivate any plants after she had killed off several cacti when she was a young girl.

Flint was standing in a corner at the other end of the room. He was talking to a girl he had told her about, Flannery was her name. A fire type Gym Leader from Hoenn, he had made her acquaintance two years ago at the summit there. They seemed to have a sparkling conversation, so she didn't want to interrupt them either.

Finally, she decided to join the group of people standing at the table, sipping at glasses of a fine Kalosian sparkling wine she had already noticed earlier. She passed Volkner, holding Jasmine's hand. He had introduced her to his girlfriend shortly after she became Champion recently, and she'd never seen him happier than when he was with her. It was a heart-warming sight, and she winked at him cheerfully.

She made her way to the other group and tugged Bertha's sleeve. Her colleague turned around. When she recognized the Cynthia, she smiled brightly.

* * *

"Listen up, everyone!" she said and stepped aside to allow Cynthia to join the circle, "it is my pleasure to introduce to you our new Champion. With her ascent to the top, an era has ended, and a new one has begun. Let us raise our glasses to the most powerful woman in Sinnoh!"

Cynthia blushed and looked around. This was all very new for her. Besides Bertha, he noticed Steven Stone, the famous Champion of the Hoenn region, then there was Lucian, elegant as ever, yet it appeared his elegance might have even been surpassed by the gentleman next to him.

"I believe I have not yet had the pleasure of making your acquaintance, Mylady." he said, his voice was humble and earnest. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Duke Siebold, I am a member of Kalos' Elite Four. At your service." He extended his hand, but when she attempted to shake it, he captured her hand in his own and bowed to kiss her hand, which of course made Cynthia blush even more.

"Thank you so much, Duke Siebold. The pleasure is all mine, really. I'm certainly looking forward to working with you.", she replied.

The woman to the Duke's right cleared her throat audibly. "Siebold, I find your display of manners charming, I really do, but I believe it is about time you let go of the Champion's hand." she said with a faint smirk. "Forgive me, Ma'am. My name is Glacia, I'm one of Steven's colleagues. I'm sure you've heard of HIM – who hasn't?"

The man seemed to blush slightly at her remark. "She's exaggerating. Please, just call me Steven. Pleased to meet you."

"Only if you call me Cynthia." she replied, shaking the hands of both Glacia and Steven before turning to the last person of the group.

"The name is Kahili. As you might have guessed by the name, I'm from Alola, were we just built our own League. We have not yet been able to identify a worthy Chamion of the League, and thus, I, as the Island Challenge Champion, am acting Champion on behalf of Alola this summit. Very pleased to see another woman join our ranks. I'll be honest to you though, I'd much rather be out golfing than doing all of this, and if it hadn't been for Professor Kukui's insistence, I wouldn't."

"Rubbing it in everyone's face isn't being _honest_, Kahili. It's _rude_." came a voice from behind her. Everyone turned towards the source of it.

"Professor Kukui. Pleased to meet you all – especially you, Champion." he said with a polite nod towards Cynthia.

"Call me Cynthia, please. It'll take some time for me to get used to waving around titles." she replied earnestly, shaking his hand, then Kahili's.

"With pleasure" the tanned Professor said, "how come no one has poured dear Cynthia here a glass of wine? I thought you were a bunch of well-mannered ladies and gentlemen! Oh dear, oh dear, I must have been mistaken…"

Steven and Siebold simultaneously came to the realisation that he was right. Where were their manners? Both reached for the bottle. Their hands collided, and for one fleeting moment, time seemed to slow down as both of their hands crashed into the bottle together. Then it simply fell to the floor where it crashed, releasing its cool and pricy content all over the floor.

Glacia and Bertha stared in horror, Steven and Siebold exchanged confused looks. Kahili did what was commonly referred to as a face-palm, and Cynthia and Kukui looked at each other – in silence, but just for a moment. Then both burst out in laughter. Most other people in the room had noticed the commotion and looked at the group.

"Don't sweat it, I'll get something to clean up this mess." Cynthia said, wiping a tear from her eye. She was about to leave and find some sort of rag when she was stopped in her tracks by Fantina approaching fast.

"No, no, no. That will not do, my dear. You just stay 'ere, don't you move, _cherie… _STAFF! Someone come here and clean up _now_!"

From Arceus knew where, a maid appeared in the hall, carrying cleaning equipment. She shuffled over to where the group was standing, now joined by Fantina. "Yes, Ma'am. Very sorry, Ma'am. At once, Ma'am." she mumbled and was about to kneel down to start cleaning the pool of wine. Cynthia thought about how the poor girl was probably about to clean up a mess that was worth more than what she made a month and made a decision.

"Please, don't. I'm responsible for all of this, I'm going to clean it myself. Would you give me that rag you have there?"

She caught Steven's admiring impression and blushed a little, then she saw the Duke's confusion – he was probably wondering why anyone would volunteer to do a maid's work – and had to supress a giggle.

"Nonsense, Cynthia. You will not do any such thing. This is her work, and you are the Champion.", Fantina said sternly.

Cynthia's smile dropped, and she stepped back without another word. The maid, who had been staring at her, partly intimidated, partly grateful, immediately looked away and cleaned up the wine, then swiftly polished the floor and scurried off. Fantina gave everyone a warm smile, apologised for the commotion and returned her attention to a plate of sandwiches. In a matter of second, almost everyone had forgotten about the incident and conversations were returning to normal. Cynthia, of course, had not forgotten about it, but she didn't intend to show how startled and even irritated she was about Fantina's behaviour.

Steven had managed to get his hands on another bottle of fine sparkling wine and poured Cynthia a glass. She gratefully accepted it.

"A toast to the new Champion!", Steven said and raised his own glass. Bertha, Glacia, Kahili, Kukui and Siebold joined the toast. Cynthia blushed yet again and joined as well: "Thank you so much, everyone. I'm sure it will be such a pleasure to work with each and every one of you. Cheers!"

* * *

The rest of the evening did not bring about any more unpleasant surprises. Eventually, the hall started to look a lot emptier – a lot of guests had requested to be taken to their rooms for the night. Unfortunately, there weren't enough rooms for everyone to dine in the contest hall, but the Professors had agreed to stay in the hotel nearby. Fantina had gone out of her way to assure them she'd pay for everything, virtually commanded them to take the finest suites the hotel offered and implored them to order breakfast. She was quite adamant about how good it was.

They had just barely been able to convince her not to call a taxi as Professor Rowan had assured the rest of them that it would only be a short walk. There would be no need for any kind of transportation other than their legs, and soon after, they breathed the cool air of the night.

"What a kick-off." said Professor Oak, walking down the streets after Rowan. "Magnificently orchestrated. Hearthome City deserves every last bit of the reputation it enjoys."

"_Oui_," Sycamore agreed, "I must say this city provides and almost Kalosian atmosphere. Although, of course, it does not come close to Luminose City."

"Just wait until the official opening ceremony tomorrow when the rest of the Unovans are here. Knowing her, Fantina has something incredibly pompous and ridiculously expensive up her sleeve. By the way, have you been in contact with them at all, Aurea?" Rowan asked.

Professor Juniper shrugged. "I tried calling them, but nothing. I suppose the snow storm up there is blocking off all communications. We'll have to wait until tomorrow… Fantina doesn't appear to wear any sleeves, by the way, let alone something up them."

Professor Birch giggled, Kukui, Birch and Elm smirked. Rowan didn't, but Juniper knew better than to take it personally. There were rumours Professor Rowan had had his sense of humour surgically removed decades ago, but he probably never had one to begin with.

"Hm." Rowan said, "By the way, does one of you happen to know how the plans for the rest of the week?"

"_You_ used to be the person who told us, Rowan!" Elm reminded him with a friendly smile, "But as it stands, since you are no longer in a position of power, I suppose we'll have to wait and see like everyone else. I'm sure the timetable will be presented at the opening ceremony like it always is."

Birch nodded. "By the Champion of the region. This is terribly embarrassing, but it's only going to get worse the longer I wait. I didn't catch her name."

"Are you living on another planet, cousin?" Kukui asked, visibly amused. "I'm literally living on a remote island and I heard her names a thousand times. It was all over the news!"

Birch looked embarrassed. "I almost never watch the news, okay? My TV's broken and I don't see a reason to fix it. I'm out and about doing field research all day! I don't have time for news." His voice had gotten more defensive towards the end of that sentence.

"It's alright, don't sweat it!" Juniper interfered. The last thing she needed tonight was a grumpy Birch. "The woman's name is Cynthia. I understand she shares my own passion for the ancient myths surrounding our world, and I really hope I get to have a chat with her."

"I'm sure she would be delighted." Rowan stated. "That building right there is our hotel. Let's hope they still have enough rooms left."

"Oh, not to worry, Rowan, _mon ami._ If they don't have enough, I would not mind sharing my room with someone!", Sycamore said eagerly.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, Augustine", Professor Juniper said quickly. She was very aware that her colleague most probably meant her when he said 'someone'. "The hotel is huge, look at that thing."

Professor Sycamore looked disappointed, but he couldn't deny, it was a huge building, almost rivalling the Contest Hall's size.

Rowan entered first, closely followed by Professor Sycamore who insisted on holding the door open for everyone else.

"Thanks, Augustine", Professor Oak said when he entered the lobby as the last member of the group. "Oh, _il n'y pas de quoi, _Samuel. My pleasure!"

Soon, Rowan had returned from the reception and handed everyone a key with a heavy brass pendant, each one with a number engraved in it.

"Fourth floor." he told them. "There's an elevator right through the hall."

* * *

Back in the Contest Hall, almost everyone had gone to bed. Cynthia had decided to go too, after a long and fun evening with Bertha's friends. A charming bellboy had accompanied her to the room that was designed for her. It was quite luxurious: It had a large queen-sized bed (entirely black with golden decorations, like the rest of the furniture), a large wardrobe that had already been filled with her belongings, a TV, a cupboard with a telephone on top of it and a velvet armchair in case she wanted to read a book.

She found the books she brought in one of the cupboard's drawers, chose one about Alolan mythology and sat down in the armchair. She had only read the introduction when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in", she called, not sure how well her visitor could hear her voice through the door. It swung open, and an elderly man she had noticed in the hall before, but didn't know otherwise, entered.

"Champion. Forgive me for keeping you up at such an ungodly hour." He smiled as he walked over to her armchair, supporting himself with a grey cane. She raised from her chair and offered it to him.

"I'm afraid this room is not equipped for visitors," she said apologetically, "but I'm comfortable sitting on the floor. Please, take a seat and call my Cynthia."

"Much obliged, Cynthia. My name is Pryce. I'm Mahogany Town's gym leader, from Johto." Pryce shook her hand and sat down on the chair, while Cynthia made herself comfortable on the carpet. "Let me begin by congratulating you on your recent appointment. I've seen the battle on television. And what a joy it was to behold! Your Garchomp is a sight for sore eyes, no doubt. She fights admirably."

"Why, thank you so much! Not many people notice she's female." Cynthia replied, smiling.

"It's the notch on it's fin. A trained eye couldn't miss it. Well, I'm making a fool out of myself – enough praise, I'm sure you already know you're one of the strongest trainers out there. I actually came to talk to you about something else… My friend, Professor Rowan, and I just had a brief chat before he left, as old people do."

He paused, looking at her. She noticed his eyes were burning bright with passion and energy, despite the wrinkles everywhere around them. "And what was this conversation about?"

"Well, neither of us mean to poke our noses in other people's affairs, but since we stood next to your circle, we could not help but witness this whole very regrettable incident with the wine bottle earlier today." He sighed. "Champion, I don't wish to sound patronising – you outrank me, by skill and by rank, and it is not my place to tell you what you should or should not do. But with your permission, I would like to offer my advice as an old person who's done this job for far too long already. I would have preferred if Professor Rowan, as your former mentor and predecessor, were the one to sit here and talk about this matter with you instead, but he had to leave for the hotel."

"Please, go ahead. The situation was most embarrassing, I hope I didn't upset you or anyone else? If I had just poured myself a glass, none of this would have happened…"

"No, by all means. You did nothing wrong. In fact, I was surprised by your display of compassion when you offered to clean up yourself. I'm sure Professor Rowan shares my feelings about that, but there is another thing we did agree on: Our hostess, Fantina. She should never have spoken to you the way she has. There is one thing we feel like you should understand: You are this region's Champion now. You should make that clear to everyone – especially to those working under you – and you should never, forgive the harsh language, take any _bullshit_ from any of them."

He paused again, giving her the chance to reply, but she simply looked at him, taking in what he just said to her. So he went on.

"Champion, this is not just a matter of principle and pride. The Sinnoh League has just received a new head, and there is no doubt that some of them will test out their new boundaries. For the sake of Sinnoh, it is imperative that you retain a strong grip on the matters of the region. That doesn't just apply to matters of politics; for example, if the Champion of the Sinnoh region wants to clean a floor, she cleans the floor. You must not show weakness."

Finally, Cynthia spoke up. "Fantina is no enemy of mine, and she's not my slave. I wouldn't want to embarrass her, and I don't need to control every single one of her actions."

"No, Cynthia," he replied, "but you're not her slave either. She embarrassed _you_ and told _you_ what to do, and that cannot happen. Leadership requires strength – strength that I am sure you have – and you must not be afraid to display it. I agree with you, Fantina is not a bad person. I trust her completely. I simply suggest that perhaps today she has forgotten who's the Champion. Everyone is used to Rowan's strong grip, and some may be tempted to take advantage of the situation where they are presented with a less experienced boss. I implore you: Be their friend. Don't oppress them. But do not let them forget who's in charge."

With that, Pryce fell silent. After a couple of seconds, he rose from his chair. "Well, I believe I have taken more than enough of your precious time. Please know that, again, I do not with to appear like I was ordering you around myself. Take this as a friendly piece of advice, a welcome gift to the League, so to say. What you do with it, that is your choice entirely."

He walked over to the door. "Have a good night, Cynthia. I shall see you in the morning."

"Thanks…", Cynthia said, still lost in thoughts about what the man had just told her. She wasn't sure he had heard her when the door snapped shut.

* * *

_Author's note: It's been a while, I know, I know. Vacation, sorry. I hope this one is compensation enough, and I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next chapter!_


	6. 06 - Breakfast Time

**Breakfast Time **

Professor Sycamore woke up at the faint chiming of his Holocaster. His sleep was a curious thing: He would not wake up from any sound, not matter how loud, but as soon as his alarm went off, he'd be wide awake, despite it only being a quiet piano tune.

He yawned and jumped out of his bed. Last night, in the elevator, the Professors had agreed not to heed Fantina's advice to order breakfast at the hotel and instead join everyone else at the Contest Hall. Breakfast there would begin at eight. Thirty minutes to go.

Sycamore disappeared into the bathroom, and when he got out 15 Minutes later, he had brushed his impeccable teeth, was freshly shaved, showered and wearing his usual comfortable yet elegant outfit (without the lab coat, of course – there was no point in wearing it at a conference, and the day promised to be a clear and sunny one, so his shirt would do on its own). After stretching, he stepped out of his room and into the lobby where he found all of his colleagues already assembled.

"Hey, Sycamore!", Birch exclaimed when he saw him, "You're late by two minutes. Tell me, did you unpack your things last evening?"

"Of course I did, Birch, why would you ask me that?" Sycamore replied, his charming accent on point as always.

"Because Elm here hasn't. He says he's only staying for a week and there'd be no point in unpacking all of his things. One suitcase, for Arceus' sake, and he refuses to unpack it."

Rowan looked as if he had had enough of this, in his mind, pointless conversation and was eager to leave, while Juniper and Oak had joined Birch's side of the argument and Kukui simply enjoyed watching the world's brightest minds arguing about whether or not a week is long enough to unpack your luggage.

After what must've been at least five more minutes of exchanging arguments, Rowan – who had refused to give any information on whether or not he had unpacked his own things – had finally had enough. "That's it, Gentlemen. Lady. We're leaving, I'm hungry," he said matter-of-factly, turning around and heading for the door.

As they took the short walk back to the contest hall, Professor Sycamore observed how his colleagues Elm and Birch refused to speak to or even look at each other. Oak and Juniper had seemingly forgotten about the matter as soon as they walked out of the hotel lobby. They were looking around, taking in the sights the city had to offer. Sycamore hoped that, in time, he'd get to take a closer look at some of the public places and buildings, and he felt like those two shared his feelings about that.

Rowan, of course, knew the city very well and spearheaded the group, hardly paying attention to anything but the traffic. Sycamore heard the pleasant accent of Professor Kukui from Alola right behind his left shoulder.

"Sycamore! How are you holding up, cousin?"

Professor Sycamore had met the man only once but had immediately taken a liking to him. At first, he had been confused about the way he called him a cousin, but he never asked about it. He would've been terribly embarrassed if he was indeed the Alolan man's cousin and had simply forgotten about him – and that was something Professor Sycamore absolutely wouldn't put past himself. It was only later that he noticed Professor Kukui simply called everyone cousin. Later, on the way from Sunyshore to Hearthome, he had learned that that wasn't unusual for Alolans.

"Just fine, Kukui, _merci,_" Sycamore replied, "I 'ope your night was just as pleasant as mine, _oui_?"

"It was, thanks, cousin. Never been to such a fancy-pancy hotel – not that I could afford it!" Kukui laughed. "I'm just glad the expenses are covered. Felt like tasting some of that stuff I found in the minibar, and boy, it tasted expensive." He gently rubbed his temple. "Strong, too… I just hope breakfast fixes those _inexplainable_ headaches I seem to have woken up with."

Sycamore sighed and ascertained that Rowan had not heard that. He, himself, was as sympathetic as anyone could be to the occasional temptation of a drink in the evening, but he knew Rowan would not be as understanding.

"Colour of the bottle, _mon ami_?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The most mysterious one I could find," Kukui said with a trace of smug complacency in his voice, "green, unlabelled. Might was well have been a genie. But it wasn't, it was liquid."

Sycamore groaned. "Oh, it was most definitely a spirit – _un esprit malin_, oh yes. Word of advice, Kukui: Never drink from unlabelled bottles. Not even in a fancy hotel such as this."

There was a reason behind the absence of a label. He had learned it the hard way: It was almost a tradition in Sinnoh that banned alcoholic beverages would still be served, and tolerated by law enforcement, in unlabelled bottles. Rumour had it that, despite his serious demeanour, the former champion had something to do with that. This particular case seemed to revolve about a bottle of Leppa Absinth, an old friend – or enemy? – of Sycamore's.

"Point taken, cousin," Kukui said, "it's not that bad, it really ain't. Oh, is that the contest hall? Fantastic. I am famished."

* * *

Professor Sycamore entered the entrance hall just behind his colleagues, having held open the door for everyone else. He strolled towards the centre, but when he saw the group of people gathered around _something_, he felt like something was amiss. His colleagues had joined the group already, even his more serious and collected colleagues – Rowan and Juniper – were staring quite intently at whatever it was that had drawn their attention.

His quickly stepped across the hall. The carped had been removed for whatever reason, so the sound of his heels against the marble resonated through the room.

"Whatever seems to be the matter, Rowan?" he asked before he had even reached the assembly. His colleague turned around and did something entirely unexpected: Professor Rowan laughed. It was a brief chuckle, not more, but still. "It's eight o'clock, what do you think is the matter, Augustine? Breakfast! Those pies and berries do look delicious."

Of course. How silly of him. Sycamore rubbed his eyes while Rowan turned his attention back to the crowded buffet. Sycamore estimated it would take at least another ten minutes until either of them got even close to the food, so he straightened his already impeccably straight shirt and looked around the room.

The rest of the hall was empty, everyone completely focussed on the food spread across the central table. Some had already gotten their preferred breakfast and were seated on smaller tables scattered loosely throughout the huge hall. It was subtle, but he could sense this was done deliberately as to allow for confidential conversations on each table. They sure weren't in listening range of each other, at least not if one spoke quietly.

He noticed the elderly man seated at one of the tables. Pryce, he thought, that was his name. A toast and a cup of tea, not the richest of breakfasts. His father was like that, too. Always the first to get up, and never ate much for breakfast. Maybe it was a thing old people just did… Pryce was joined by an elderly lady, Bertha. He knew her from the previous summits and had a lot of respect for her. A very educated woman, she could've easily been a Professor, had she desired so.

In a different corner, he spotted the rest of the Sinnoh League. The Champion, of course, Cynthia. Aaron, Flint, Lucian. He doubted they had gotten up equally early, but there had to be some benefits of being part of the hosting League. And next to them, he found the object of his desire. As he had suspected, and as he was used to from various fancy places all over the world, the beverages were served on a different table, and that table usually attracted a much smaller crowd. In this case, there wasn't a single person queueing.

As he strolled over, he noticed the tall and elegant silver samovar. It had been some time since he last saw one of those. This very special apparatus originated in Sinnoh, he knew, so he shouldn't have been surprised that their host had provided them with one. It was, essentially, a large and very elegant kettle with a small tea pot on top. The pot would contain black tea concentrate, so strong no sane person would even attempt to drink it, so one would pour oneself just a small amount, then dilute it with hot water from the kettle.

He took a small detour to introduce himself to the Sinnoh League table. "_Mademoiselle. Messieurs. _My sincere apologies for this rude interruption of your breakfast it looks delicious."

Lucius gave him a warm smile – they had always felt a connection through books and fancy suits – Aaron and Flint nodded politely. "Good to see you, Prof." the younger one, Aaron, said.

The Champion looked at him for just the fraction of a second, her head slightly tilted, her eyes curious. Then she stood up and extended her hand. "Cynthia. I'm Sinnoh's new champion and delighted to meet you!" she beamed, then laughed at the Professor's horrified expression.

"Please, Miss Cynthia, I beg of you, remain seated!" he said. "I am Professor Sycamore from the Kalos region. Of course, I know who you are, I've watched your ascent through the league on television!" he added, shaking her hand.

Cynthia smirked. Was the man sweating? She really had to get used to this new effect she seemed to have on people. It was all so surreal. "Would you like to join us for breakfast, Professor? There are two more seats." She sat back down and pointed at one of them.

"Oh, by all means, I cannot." Sycamore shook his head. "It would be very unseemly for me to interrupt. There is no doubt you are discussing matters of great importance, not meant for a mere Professor's ears." He saw Lucian suppress laughing fit. Well, maybe their discussion was less serious than he had assumed.

"Not at all, Professor. We're not desperate enough to waste our precious breakfast time over something as mundane as business," Flint said. "We were just discussing the texture of those pancakes. Turns out we're all quite satisfied."

Sycamore noticed the heap of pancakes they had stacked on their plates, with berries, cream and sweet syrup. They did look delicious. He remained silent, still undecided.

"Oh, come on, old friend, don't be a party pooper.", Lucian added, and that was enough for him to make up his mind.

"Very well. I shall take you up on that offer, _merci beaucoup_!", Sycamore beamed. "I shall join you right after I got myself something to eat – which may take a while – and a cup of coffee."

"You say that just to spite me, don't you?" Lucian laughed. "Go be a good boy and get yourself some tea. I've seen you admiring that samovar, I know you want to try it. I promise you, it's much better than the coffee – besides, you know Sinnohan coffee. It's nothing Kalosian palates could ever appreciate or even tolerate. I shall take care of your breakfast in the meantime… Pancakes? Toast? Porridge?"

Sycamore smirked. "You know me too well, Lucian,_ truand_. Those pancakes look delicious, I'd like some of those as well." He turned around and left for the samovar, but not before bowing his head to Cynthia curtly.

* * *

It had taken about fifteen minutes to get himself a decent breakfast. Professor Rowan certainly hoped that the staff would learn from this experience and organize a more efficient way delivering food in the future, this simply would not do. He was already starving, but the sight of his plate filled with all sorts of sweet pies, berries and creams cheered him up.

He had been one of the last ones at the buffet and everyone else was already seated. He saw Birch, Elm, Oak and Juniper at a table to the left. The table was one of the smaller ones, a fifth person would not fit in easily. Sycamore had gone off to… where had he gone off to indeed? Rowan was scanning the room for his colleagues but found someone else instead. Pryce and Berta were sitting in a corner not far from him, alone, engaged in a conversation. That would do.

"Pryce. Bertha. Mind if I join you?", he asked. Pryce almost had a heart attack, by the looks of it.

"Rowan! Do you always sneak up on people like that?", he asked, still visibly startled. "As a matter of fact, I would've started looking for you in about one minute had you not decided to join us yourself."

Bertha said nothing, but the all too serious expression on her face didn't bode well. Like Rowan himself, she rarely allowed herself a smile, but this was… extra serious.

"The two of you don't look very happy." Rowan stated, "I assume you've talked to the champion? Did that not go well?" he asked, sitting down on the chair he'd just hung his jacket over and sticking his fork into one of the cakes. "You worry too much. I'll talk to her later, thanks for trying."

"It's not that, Rowan." Pryce replied. "I've talked to her, of course, and I think she understands very well. She's a bright young lady, I'm not worried for her."

Bertha still sat in silence, her eyebrows furrowed. Rowan noticed she was scanning the room, looking out for anyone who might be eavesdropping. Turning back to Pryce, he noticed he did the same with the other half of the room.

"Don't tell me this has to do with…?" the elderly Professor asked, with no intention of finishing the question. It wouldn't be necessary, and it wouldn't be wise.

"Yes." Bertha replied. Her voice was even raspier than usual – apparently, she hadn't given up her smoking habit during those last few months either. No surprise there. "Yes, it does. Something has gone horribly wrong."

At the end of the story she now told him, Rowan was not happy. He hadn't taken a single piece of pie, nor a berry, and he didn't feel like it anymore either. "You know who needs to hear this." he said. "On top of that, we need to involve Crasher Wake. Pastoria is his city. And…" he hesitated for a moment.

"Yes." Bertha nodded courtly. "And Champion Cynthia. She might not have been in the game for long, but this calls for the Champion's, and our, immediate attention. Whether you like it or not Rowan, I'll go talk to her."

"And I will let the others know." Pryce said nonchalantly. "Rowan, would you go and have a chat with Wake? You must get to him… preferably before the police do."

"If I must." Rowan said grimly. He didn't like the idea of making any of this Cynthia's problem, but he knew there was no point in trying to stop Bertha. He watched as she finished her cappuccino while Pryce devoured the last bit of his toast. Then they both got up. "Meetup at lunch." Rowan growled as the two left the table. He picked up a single berry, the chewed and swallowed it. Nope. Not a chance in hell he'd finish any of this.

Deeply concerned, he stood up, put on his jacket and went off to find Crasher Wake.

* * *

"WHAT?!"

Professor Rowan groaned. Wake's voice was just ridiculously loud when he got upset. Not that he could blame him, but still…

They were standing in a Crasher Wake's room. Rowan had decided to wait until after breakfast, he felt like a more private location might be suitable for this conversation. Turns out, he was right, and he certainly hoped Bertha had followed the same rationale – although he didn't doubt it for one second. "Wake, please be sensible about this. There's…"

"NO! What… does the Champion know about this? How do you even _know_ about it, Professor? Shouldn't the police have contacted me directly?" Crasher Wake looked confused and angry, a dangerous combination.

"Mr. Wake, please, just listen to me for a moment. I have gotten this information from a friend who stumbled upon it entirely on accident. The officers of the law have only just discovered it themselves, and I'm positive they will contact you soon. I'm merely thought it would be fair not to keep it from you." Rowan explained. Relieved, he sensed that his words had somewhat calmed the enormous man he was talking to. "Cynthia is being informed as we speak. In fact, I believe it might be wise to go find her immediately. With any luck, she's in her room – will you join me?"

Wake was still very obviously irritated, though he did a better job at suppressing it now. Rowan was relieved to see he was no longer the target of the large Gym Leader's anger.

"So be it then."

* * *

_Author's note: How wonderful to be back! This chapter is setting up a different story that I will also publish on this account. You can read either one without the other, but they take place at the same time and, naturally, will intersect at some points. This is the first of those points. _

_If you don't care for either of them, you can still read the other, of course. _

_Hope autumn's treating you well. I'll be back in a bit. _


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